What I Wish I Knew Before Our First Summer Adventure

We'd had Ciccio for barely a month when we packed up the car for our first real road trip together.

I thought he'd love it. Nose out the window, wind in his ears, the whole thing. Instead, within ten minutes he was panting hard, pacing as much as the back seat would allow, and by the time we hit the first big curve, he threw up. And kept being sick, on and off, for most of the drive.

I remember feeling so helpless. Looking back now, with everything I've learned since about canine nutrition and behavior, I think I understand what was actually happening. He'd just been rescued. He didn't know yet that this was his forever home. And here we were, putting him in a car and driving him somewhere unfamiliar — probably the same feeling as being "sent off" all over again.

He's still not a car guy, if I'm honest. He gets nervous. He paces, he pants, and every so often the nerves still win. But our trips look completely different now, because I stopped treating car anxiety like something to just push through and started treating it like something to actually prepare for.

If you've got a dog who struggles in the car — or you're just not sure how your dog will handle a long summer drive — here's everything I do differently now.

Why dogs get carsick and anxious in the first place

Car anxiety in dogs is usually a mix of two things happening at once: a physical motion-sickness response (especially common in puppies and younger dogs, whose inner ear balance system is still developing) and a learned emotional association — the car means something stressful is about to happen, whether that's the vet, being left somewhere, or just an environment they can't control.

For a rescue dog especially, that emotional piece can run deep. Ciccio's first experiences with cars, before us, may not have been good ones. So for him, it's never really been just about the motion — it's about trust.

Knowing which one (or both) you're dealing with changes how you prepare.

What actually helps: our pre-trip routine

Build up car confidence before the "real" trip. In the weeks before a big drive, I take Ciccio on short, low-stakes car rides that don't end anywhere stressful — a quick loop around the block, a drive to a favorite trail. The goal is for the car door opening to mean "something good happens now," not "brace yourself."

No food for a couple of hours before departure. An empty-ish stomach makes a real difference for motion sickness. I skip his full meal right before we leave and save it for our first proper stop.

Stop every 90 minutes, no exceptions. Every hour and a half, we pull over. He gets a proper leg stretch, a good sniff around (sniffing is genuinely calming for dogs — it's not just a bathroom break), and fresh water. It sounds simple, but it's made the single biggest difference in how he handles a long drive.

Keep water accessible and offer it often. Dehydration makes everything — nausea, anxiety, restlessness — worse. I keep a travel bowl within reach at every stop.

Have something familiar in the car. His usual blanket, a toy he knows. Familiar smells go a long way toward saying "this is still your normal life, just moving."

A calming, gut-friendly treat for the road. This one took some experimenting. A lot of dogs get car anxiety, and a lot of "calming" treats out there are either loaded with fillers or too rich for a nervous stomach that's already on edge.

What's actually worked for us is something simple: chamomile and hemp hearts. Chamomile has a naturally calming effect, hemp hearts bring omega-3s that support an overall sense of ease, and because the base is gluten-free and gentle, it doesn't add extra work for a belly that's already unsettled. It's one small piece of the puzzle, not a fix on its own — but paired with everything else, it helps. To make life easy for everyone I developed my best selling Calming Chamomile Dog treats. They are naturally gluten free to make sure they are super gentle on stressed tummies.

A note on the emotional side

If your dog is newly adopted, or has had a hard start, I'd gently push back on the idea that car anxiety is something to just "train out" quickly. For Ciccio, it's taken consistency and time, not a single trick. Every calm trip we complete is a tiny deposit in the "you're safe, this is normal life now" account. Some dogs will always be a little more sensitive travelers, and that's okay — the goal isn't a dog who loves the car, it's a dog who trusts that whatever's happening, you've got them.

Before you go: the checklist

Packing for a road trip with a dog is its own small project — water, food, meds, bedding, waste bags, ID tags, the list goes on, and it's easy to forget something in the rush out the door.

I put together the exact checklist I use before every trip with Ciccio — from what to pack, to a day-before routine, to car safety basics — so you don't have to build it from scratch.

Download the free Pre-Road-Trip Checklist for Dogs Here

 

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Kate is a certified canine nutritionist and founder of The Barkery, a small-batch dog treat bakery in Ticino, Switzerland. She started The Barkery after losing her dog Bucky to cancer and discovering how much whole-food ingredients could support a dog's health. She lives with her rescue dog, Ciccio, who is still — three years later — not a fan of long car rides, but a very enthusiastic fan of chamomile treats at every rest stop.